


love of my life

by salazarsslytherin



Series: old married maycury [4]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: M/M, don't judge me i just love the idea of this, i probably need to go to sleep, i wrote this in one hour, i'm so emotional thinking about it, it's really rough, old married maycury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:22:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22702408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salazarsslytherin/pseuds/salazarsslytherin
Summary: During their latest tour, Queen + Adam Lambert are joined by a very special guest.
Relationships: Brian May/Freddie Mercury
Series: old married maycury [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1483280
Comments: 13
Kudos: 85





	love of my life

“I’m too fucking old for this.”

It’s easily the fourth or fifth time Freddie’s said that in the past half an hour but Brian’s patient, too excited to get annoyed about anything right now.

“You’re going to love it,” Brian insists, gently catching hold of Freddie’s wrist to stop him from pacing around and pulling him close to give him a quick kiss.“Where have these _nerves_ come from, love?You never used to be like this.”

Freddie makes a face but he at least stops his restless circuits of the dressing room.“I used to be,” he says darkly.“Right in the beginning.Don’t you remember?”

Brian does, now he thinks about it.Way back in the early days of Queen, maybe even when they were still performing as Smile and Freddie was brand new to their line-up, usually locked away somewhere before each gig throwing his guts up and shaking like a leaf. 

“God, yeah,” he says, shaking his head.“I’d forgotten that.”

“I haven’t!It’s been too long, Brian, I’m going to be a laughing stock.I can’t remember how to sing,” Freddie frets at him.

“You’re not going to be a laughing stock, the fans are going to lose their _minds_ , alright?I can’t wait to perform with you again,” Brian tells him, pulling him in for a hug as well to try and calm Freddie down a bit.He’s going to need it; Brian’s due on stage very shortly and Freddie’s going to have an hour after that to try and talk himself out of it, which Brian _really_ doesn’t want him to do.

“Do you really think they’ll like it?” Freddie mumbles into his chest.

“You _know_ they will,” Brian tells him.They’ve been planning it for bloody ages, now; Freddie had been excited every other day up until today, the actual start of the tour.

It _has_ been a long time for him; while Brian and Roger have taken themselves around the world with Adam, Freddie had never regained that bug for touring.And he still hasn’t, really; he refused point-blank to ever do a full tour with them but he’d been over the moon about this idea, after being assured that they would only be staying in the very best hotels and there would be _no_ travelling by bus and no twelve-day runs with no break.Brian suspects that he’s actually really looking forward to being out on the road again after so long but Freddie would never admit it in a hundred years.

It’s only a shame that with the way the world is nowadays, with social media and the internet, Freddie can only be a surprise for one night—tonight.After that, everyone will know to expect him.But tonight he gets the big dramatic reveal that Brian _knows_ he’s itching for and every night after that the fans are going to be beside themselves knowing he’s there.He hasn’t toured with Queen since 1986, since before some of their current fans were even born, so Brian knows it’s going to be absolutely huge when he steps out tonight for their first show of the new tour.

For once, he’s actually excited to see some reviews and press stories tomorrow.

Thankfully, Freddie does seem to calm down a bit and several aides show up—some to take Brian to the stage, most to stay with Freddie and keep him occupied while Brian’s gone. 

Brian gives him one last kiss and a huge grin.“I can’t wait to be out there with you again,” he says before disappearing off to find Roger and Adam as the intro music starts playing and the crowd’s screaming gets louder.

This is always where Brian’s felt the most alive; stood on stage with his guitar in his hands, doing what he does best.He’s not like Freddie, who’s always loved performing but _hated_ the touring life.Brian _lives_ for it, wouldn’t know himself without it.It’s been hard in recent years when he and Roger have left to do tours with Adam and he’s been away from Freddie for so long, snatching a few days here and there to see him when he can get home or Freddie can fly out.But this time is different, because Freddie is here with him again, right where he should be.

The first show of a new tour is always thrilling but Brian’s feeling it so much _more_ tonight, giddy with their secret.They’re all feeling it; Roger’s practically glowing and Adam’s almost hyperactive, his usual stage antics turned up to eleven so Brian’s reminded fondly of Freddie on some of their previous tours—though the things Adam says, even Freddie couldn’t have gotten away with that back then.

He wishes John could have come along, even just to watch, but when Freddie had told him what he was planning on Facetime he’d laughed and told him he was crazy.Freddie promised to send him a clip, though, and John said he’d keep an ear out for Twitter meltdown he was sure his kids would keep him in the know about.

They perform the biggest and best songs, the crowd pleasers, and a few older songs and lesser-known ones that a surprising number of the audience still know the words to, singing along at the tops of their voices.They stamp, clap, and raise their arms and Brian feels on top of the world, filled up with it as he darts about the stage and play-acts with Adam until it’s time.

Adam disappears to change his outfit and Roger takes a well-earned rest for water.The lights go down and Brian’s left in a lone spotlight, sitting on his usual stool with his guitar on his knee, taking in the crowd around him.

“Good evening, London!” he calls into the mic, and just that is greeted with cheers and hoots.“Are you all having a good time?”

They are, of course, and scream it back at him.

Brian laughs and gently plays the opening bars of _Love of My Life_.“It’s one of my favourite songs, this.It’s just beautiful, isn’t it?This is the part of the show where we sort of take a bit of a breather, and you guys join in and help sing,” Brian says, idly playing notes, trying to keep his voice calm and not let the excitement get the better of him.“But tonight it’s not just you who’re gonna help me sing.I want to introduce a very special guest to you—some of you may know him already,” Brian adds, grinning.

He doesn’t say the name—it’s too much.He just plays the opening again and Freddie’s voice suddenly comes in, strong and sure and familiar, and Brian’s battered by an unexpected surge of emotion that brings tears to his eyes.

The crowd goes fucking _wild_. 

It’s hard to hear Freddie sing over their screaming, which reaches a fever pitch and keeps climbing as Freddie walks out and joins Brian on the B-stage, meeting his eye for a moment.Brian can see the same emotion he’s struggling to keep at bay reflected back on his husband’s face and it’s a moment of pure, reawoken connection between them, dormant all these years but never gone. 

The audience stops screaming to burst into the familiar sound of thousands of voices singing the words back to them and Brian honestly feels so full of light he isn’t entirely sure he’s not dreaming, this moment has immediately become one of his most precious memories.

Freddie’s smiling so wide his cheeks are flushed pink with it.The crowd is singing to him and he has his hand out to him, but he turns to Brian as he sings, “ _Love of my life, don’t leave me_.”

Brian grins at him and mouths, ‘Never.’

Freddie’s voice wobbles a bit as he carries on singing, not from a lack of practice but from the sheer emotion of the whole thing, but it doesn’t matter.The crowd, to a person, knows the song word-for-word and they’re fifty-thousand strong; they sing it together.

By the end, Freddie’s tear-streaked and beside himself, his hand is shaking when Brian reaches out to take it once he’s finished and he looks so full of joy Brian’s more in love with him than ever.

Freddie takes advantage of the ecstatic screaming of the audience to blow kisses and back away across the stage, disappearing into the wings just as Adam comes bursting out with an, ‘Ooooh!’ as they immediately launch into _Fat Bottomed Girls_.

* * *

Brian has no idea how he manages to get through the rest of the concert when he’s been floating on cloud nine since hearing Freddie’s voice on stage with him again, but he does.

The energy of the crowd is sky-high for the rest of the show, his ears are ringing from it by the time they get to their final encore, and they scream even louder when Freddie comes out one last time to join Adam in singing _We Are the Champions_.

They’re all buzzing, more so than usual, more so than _ever_.Brian’s performed more shows like this than he could ever count but he doesn’t think he’s ever felt like this as he’s come off the stage, just so _happy_ and energised, more than the usual adrenaline.

Freddie falls into his arms the moment he’s handed his guitar off and he’s laughing uncontrollably, clinging to Brian like his legs aren’t really holding him up properly, which Brian suspects they aren’t.Freddie’s been a long time without this high, it’s a lot to take in; even Brian’s struggling to fathom it until he realises he doesn’t have to.They don’t have to make sense of it; they can just be happy and excited and jump around the dressing room like they’re still twenty-somethings, giddy with their own success.

Roger charges at them and nearly tackles them to the ground with the force of his hug and Adam dives in a moment later, squeezing them altogether until they’re all laughing madly, a bit hysterical.

“I can’t believe we just did that!” Freddie gasps eventually, clutching a glass of champagne someone’s brought him and leaning heavily into Brian as though he’s drunk.“I really _have_ missed it, you were right, darling,” he says, shaking his head and taking a big sip.“I forgot what it felt like.”

Brian laughs and can’t help but kiss him, holding him tight.“I don’t think it’s ever felt like that,” he admits.“You were...so special tonight, Fred.”

Freddie blinks at him, taken by the sincerity in his voice, before he becomes suddenly bashful and hides his face in Brian’s neck.“God!I don’t know if I can do it every night,” he cries, muffled.

Roger snorts.“That’s the best cheer we’ve ever gotten, I’ll _drag_ you out if I have to.”

“I’m too fucking old for this,” Freddie insists, as though he hasn’t just been out on stage and absolutely _killed_ it.

Brian laughs.“We’re _all_ too fucking old for this,” he counters. 

“Three haggard old Queens,” Freddie giggles.“And one young, handsome Queen,” he amends.

“Hear, hear!” Adam calls back, toasting him with a cheeky grin.

Brian wraps an arm around Freddie, ducking down to reach his ear.“Let’s go home.I’ll show you what a young, handsome Queen I think you are,” he says meaningfully, his hand sliding a little lower.

Freddie glances at him with bright eyes and immediately drains the rest of his glass.“Well,” he says with a quick wink, “I’m certainly not too old for _that_.”

“Same time tomorrow!” Roger calls after them as they beat a hasty and probably very obvious retreat.“We’ve got a whole tour ahead of us now!”

Freddie looks back over his shoulder and grins, stomach alight with pleasant butterflies at the thought—a whole tour, all over again.“Wouldn’t miss it,” he promises.

John was right; he really must be crazy. 


End file.
